Spotify is launching the ability to buy physical books in the US and the UK

In February, Spotify made an exciting (and somewhat unusual) move when it entered the world of physical book sales. As of this week, the new feature is officially live in the US and UK, allowing users to purchase physical books through the Spotify app.

This collaboration is with Bookshop.organ online marketplace dedicated to supporting local, independent bookstores. On in-app audiobook pages, users will now see a button that says “Get a copy for your shelf.” Clicking this button directs them to the Bookshop website, which manages pricing, inventory and shipping.

Currently, the ability to purchase physical books is only available on Android devices, with iOS users getting access next week.

Today’s announcement cements Spotify’s position as a competitor to major booksellers as it aims to become a one-stop shop for book lovers. This new offering is also part of Spotify’s broader strategy focused on profitability. To further this goal, the company has increased subscription prices in the US and Europe. It recently reported reaching 751 million monthly active listeners.

In addition to physical book sales, Spotify has rolled out several other updates, first announced in February. This includes the extension of the “Match Page” feature, which now supports more than 30 additional languages, including French, German and Swedish. Page Match allows users to scan a page from a physical book or e-book using their smartphone camera. The tool analyzes the content and directs users to the appropriate section of the audiobook.

Since launching the feature for English language books in February, Spotify has reported that users using Page Match stream an average of 55% more hours of audiobooks each week compared to other listeners. Additionally, 62% of audiobook titles paged on Spotify are books that users have never streamed before.

Additional updates include the official release of Audiobook Recaps on Android devices. This feature provides short audio summaries tailored to the user’s most recent point in the story, making it easy to jump back into listening.

The company also announced that “Audiobook Charts‘, similar to Spotify’s music and podcast charts, is now available in Germany, following its previous launch in the US and the UK. These charts help users discover their next favorite book by showing what’s hot and trending on Spotify.